The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-27
COURTSHIP IN RUSSIA.
HOW BEAUTIFUL SLAvONIC GIRLS
ARE WOOED AND WON.


The Lover Smothers the Mother With
Soft Words and Pretty Presents and
Finally Wins = The Coy Maiden's
Charming Hypocrisy.
From the Neio York Star.
will tell you a story of lovemaking of
Russia, of which will endeavor to draw
pen picture and show my American readers
that the young men and maidens of my
country are in no wise different from those
OF other and more favored chimes They
are, perhaps, little more demonstrative,
less given to concealing the feelings of the
heart, and less inclined to regard money as
necessary consideration in the settlement
of heart affairs. When Russian girl loves,
it is with her whole heart; her love sur
mounts all obstacles. / speak from ex-
perience.
1t is the custom of the Russian young
folks to meet together by appointment in
the long, stormy winter evenings, selecting
the house of each one in turn. Boys and
girls come gayly dressed in holiday attire,
the latter carrying their looms and linen
thread, which they are supposed to convert
into the much priced linen. These pretty
young misses pass the hours in idle gossip
until the time approaches for the arrival of
the sterner sex, when each one HES to her
loom and begins to work most earnestly,
by which means they seek to impress
on the minds of their lovers their
capabilities of becoming good wives and
housekeepers; but this feigned industry
does not last long, for when the male mem
bers have entered the chamber work is sus
pended, and pleasure begins by the young
men inviting their fair friends to join them
in forming a circle. This done, they all join
in singing, after which one Of the girls
selects her young gentleman moi miloD.
my love, as she calls him, and leads him
into the middle of the circle, then
walks back and forth, chanting love
song, in which the rest of the guests join.
In the song usually selected she tells of the
beauty of the lover she has chosen; how
much she loves him; how she would leave
home and parents, brothers, sisters and
friends, and follow him the wide world
over. As the song runs, she would follow
him across the seven oceans, or over seven
high mountains, and rest beneath their
shadow, where she could enjoy her happi-
ness undisturbed.
So in turn each girl selects her moi miloi
and leads him into the circle, when the same
love chanting is repeated until all the girls
have made their choice. Next in turn come
the young men, who each select partner
and go through the same performance, the
whole affair terminating with the dancing
of the Russian Cossack.
At the conclusion of this dance each
young peasant escorts the object of his
choice to her home. AT these gatherings
they are as free as the birds of the air, and
take for their mate whomsoever they will,
without any regard to third party When
the time arrives that formal declaration is
to be made, the youth, accompanied by
some member or members of his family,
who are supposed to aid materially in OBJ
tanning the parents consent, proceed to the
home of his ladylove and there make known
his wishes to the father and mother
The mother, not at all surprised, usually
reads the young man long lecture on the
duties and burdens of married life, bewail-
ing all the ills and speaking of few of the
blessings, and ends by declaring her daugh-
ter is too young to marry yet, too young to
be given over to the cruel tyranny of an
exacting husband. She prefers to see her
as free and happy as the birds of her native
woods. All this is but custom which
must be observed, SO fearful are
they that the young man might sup
pose his bride too easily won. The sutton,
further to conciliate the mother now be-
gins to lavish all kinds of presents on her,
according to his means, at the same time
telling her how much he loves her daughter
and how happy he viii make her darling.
A glowing description of how bright he will
make her future life follows To his vivid
imagination everything is rainbow-hued,
and in language so poetical as the
Russian tits grand and impressive to hear
this sutton of the daughters hand
pour forth his torrent of eloquent words.
The mother listens attentively to the
weighing in deep thought all he says, look
ing occasionally at the presents presented TO
her, and which / much fear are the key
which unlocks the door of her heart. She
finally gives rather unwilling assent, with
the:proviso if the father isfwilling. This is a
needless precaution on her part, for as a rule
the father is only too willing to ease him
self of the burden of a daughters support.
But you will naturally ask where the
poor victim is all the time. Why! in the
next room, of course, where every word ut
tered by her lover falls like sweet music on
her ears. She understands her mothers tao
tics, and yet it must be with trembling
heart that she awaits the sealing of her fate.
EsAu preliminaries arranged between
mother and lover, the daughter is called
into the room to receive the parental bless
ing, instead Of which she kneels to her
mother, praying not to be taken from her.
She describes the beauties of her virgin life,
and declares she has no wish to change it,
prefers her freedom to all else, and begs
that her mother will not make for her the
hated red petticoat, which constitutes the
principal portion of the wardrobe of every
peasant bride. The daughter pleads, the
mother caresses. and seeks to persuade her
to accept the lover, to whom but
a short time before she refused to give
her, The mother, while gently stroking
the glossy hair of her child, tries to
persuade her that after all virgin life is
not the most desirable; that God has placed
her in this world with a mission, which she
must seek to fulfill; that she cannot always